Bradley Manning Sentenced to 35 Years

Bradley Manning Sentenced to 35 Years

U.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning is escorted out of a military court facility during the sentencing phase of his trial August 20, 2013 in Fort Meade, Md.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

A military judge on Wednesday sentenced Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for releasing hundreds of thousands of classified documents to Wikileaks. The judge, Col. Denise Lind, also reduced Manning's rank and ordered a dishonorable discharge. Here's the Washington Post with the sentencing details:

According to the military, Manning is required to serve one-third of the sentence before he becomes eligible for parole. ... Manning will receive a credit of 1,293 days for the time he has been confined prior to the sentence, including 112 days of credit for abusive treatment he was subjected to at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va.

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Manning was convicted of stealing and disseminating reams of classified documents and videos to the online anti-secrecy website. He was found guilty of 20 of the 22 charges against him, including a half dozen violations of the Espionage Act—although not of aiding the enemy. He faced a maximum sentence of up to 90 years in prison. Prosecutors had asked for at least a 60-year prison term, arguing that it would send a message to future would-be leakers. The defense, meanwhile, pushed for a prison term of no more than 25 years, arguing that it would give the 25-year-old private the chance to rebuild his life.